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Helping people suffering from high gas prices.
updated 3 months, 3 weeks ago
11 Members
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How could we help people suffering from higher gas prices while showing the the advantages of EV’s?
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300 mile battery + range extender
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If you have 300 miles of range you don’t need a range extender. Range extenders are past their sell by date, they don’t make any sense anymore. They had a purpose when there were no fast chargers and batteries were $400 per KWh, that world is gone. Plugin hybrids have the complexity and maintenance costs of ICEVs without the full benefit of BEVs. I bought a Volt in 2016, it was a great transitional vehicle at the time because it had almost enough range to do most of my local driving and it could still go anywhere. In 2016 there was hardly any Supercharger network so gas was still the only means of traveling long distances. But I found the Volt frustrating because it didn’t have enough range, it was rated at 53 miles. I had a once a week commute, by taking back roads I could reduce the distance to 60 miles and combined with the lower speeds the Volt could do it in summer with 12 miles to spare but in the winter it would miss by a block, i.e. the engine would turn on when I got to the end of the street. Taking a highway wasn’t an option because not only was that longer but the higher speeds reduced the Volt’s range. Going into Boston is 50 miles each way, if I was going to a garage with a charger and I was staying 4 hours (i.e. an Opera and dinner) I could do it all on electric, but for other destinations in Boston it was a gas car on the way back.
When Tesla’s Supercharger network passed a critical point in 2019 I got a Tesla, now I can go all electric anywhere and I can do it at 80 MPH. I gave my Volt to my sister who lives in an apartment and can’t charge it. Because the Volt has a gas engine it’s in the shop a couple of times a year, I just paid $1400 to replace the ECU (emissions control unit). In the almost three years that I’ve owned my Tesla the only maintenance cost has been an annual tire rotation.
Now lets talk about cost. I paid $41K for the Volt before state and federal rebates and GM was losing money at that price, that’s because it has the costs of two drivetrains built in. The RWD Model 3 was cheaper than that before the big automotive inflation that set in. The current price of the 600 mile Aptera, which is the one I’ve reserved, is less than that.
I just don’t see a use case for plugin hybrids anymore. If you can charge at home then you should have a BEV, they all have long enough ranges now, almost zero maintenance, no oil changes and no trips to the gas station. If you can’t plug in at home then a regular hybrid makes the most sense, still have the hassles of owning a gas car but at least they get decent MPG.
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they arnt recyling batteries without them losing energy capacity per weight, so if we use them up we might run out. most people can have 200 mile battery and range extender for unusual trips, range extender is much more lightweight than more batteries, so efficiency will be higher most the time at least when on electric only. it would run at optimal combustion to charge battery(like a freepiston air pressure/electric hybrid, or a less radical design like orbist/nissan E power) design. E fuels are in development and some already exist but they are either expensive or not being done for some reason. engineering explained did video on ethanol and autotrader did video on volvos comparison of their electric suv vs their combustion one, in terms of emissions from production to driving time.
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You cant, they already look at evs but probably cant afford them. Plus, gas and electricity is also on the rise, at least in europe.
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In my country the gallon price right now is €10,-…which is $11,-. and rising thanks to Vlad..P. ……So we are beyond help from anyone… Even if you can’t afford an electric car, it is very wise to get one, because a few years later you will have saved enormous amounts of money…….
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And that is why, in my case, every day I’m driving to work on an electric speed pedelec. See photo’s in my profile…
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Nowadays commuting to work in an ICE vehicle takes almost one fifth of my salary on gas prices… So one will get creative very easily…
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This reply was modified 4 months ago by Elzo Stubbe.
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Anymore, most people tend to forget that they have legs, and can actually WALK to most of their destinations… not to mention the bonus of being more fit as a result. If it’s practical to walk, then I do so. If not, then I ride my e-bike, and when that is not practical, I drive my Nissan Leaf. But leg power should always be the first option.
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This reply was modified 4 months ago by
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early next year when gas is $11.00 per gallon this car will be a godsend!
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Supporting Aptera is now more important then ever. However we know that significant numbers will not be available this year, and less than 10K next year. So it is important to help those in need all we can. I am talking about helping on a personal basis with transportation for those we a wear have real needs.
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In the short term people can adjust habits to cope. Remember US gas prices are cheaper than many places by a good margin. Even here is canada we pay about 20% more.
– avoid driving if you don’t need to. Try to plan efficient trips.
– telecommute (work from home) if you can. This also saves a ton of time.
– find a car pool if you have a consistent commute. I’m sure plenty of websites and fb groups exist.
– use public transit if it works for your commute.
– use walking, bikes, lime scooters, ebikes or one wheel (really fun) especially if within a few miles (try not to die)
– buy a smaller used vehicle. The US is obsessed with large trucks and SUVs. Get something cheap to run until you get the aptera.
– move closer to work. Anyone with a 50+ mile commute is effectively working an extra 2-3 hours per day.
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What comes to my mind is driving the current EV around with a small, portable gas can in it. When you come upon someone stranded for want of gas, hand them your can and say, “Here. You can have mine. I’m not using it!”
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The way to fix things is to reduce gas taxes and instead tax new gas vehicles substantially (ie 10-20%). This would help the people that struggle with gas prices now and encourage an EV transition without hugely expensive EV subsidies. This would encourage brands to build new low cost EVs for a market segment that has been essentially ignored in north america. Aptera is very good value for what it is but it isn’t a fit for everyone.
A simple LFP based family car with a 150+ mile range should be able to be build in North America for a similar price to other econobox vehicles (Toyota Corolla). Outside china no one seems to want to build this entry level product. Perhaps that the plan for the Aptera sedan; use the lessons from the “roadster” to build a more pragmatic vehicle.
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yes the only answer right now is what Elon suggests is to pump up more oil because
inflation is starting to kill us. See this rediculous price today here in good old dutchieland. €2,50 for a liter of benzin, gas, petrol or whatever you wanna call it…Yes today it reached a staggering $12,50/gallon…… !!
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Wow I thought our prices were bad. We are up to $2.16 CAD (up 50% in the last 3 weeks) in parts of BC which is $1.54 EURO ($6.40 USD per US gallon – assuming I got the math right).
Good to see that Elon recognizes transitions take time and current gas prices hurt the middle class and economy in general.
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I miss the good old days. Mean tweets and cheap gas
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Those are really old days if there was cheap gas
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14 months later Americans are paying $ 144 million more each day in higher gas prices
But it doesn’t end there Only 44% of a barrel of oil is used for gas , the rest of it goes into everything we see and touch that has plastics involved in it.
So everything goes up 40% +
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